Huayu: This director is pretty strong.

Chapter 89 Tearing Away That Thick Curtain

The wheels drove over the water on the road.

White water splashed to both sides, covering the dirt on the ground.

Chen Yan leaned back in his chair, his fingertips tracing the fabric on his knees.

The streetlights outside the car window cast intermittent rays into the carriage.

Wang, the comprador, sat in the passenger seat, leaning half his body to the side, his gaze fixed on Chen Yan's profile.

"Director Chen, when you meet Director Ma later, soften your attitude."

Wang, the comprador, took out a cigarette from his pocket, but didn't light it; instead, he tapped it on his fingernail.

"President Lu said that it's good for young people to be talented, but they need to know which way the gates of Beijing open."

Chen Yan didn't say anything.

He looked out the window at the receding red walls.

The warning lights of the administrative law enforcement vehicle still left a bluish-purple afterimage on my retina.

The car stopped in front of the Film Bureau's gate.

Two security guards, wearing raincoats and holding flashlights, swiped the beams of their lights around the license plate twice.

Wang, the comprador, rolled down the window and handed over an access pass.

The door slowly opened, making a heavy metallic scraping sound.

Chen Yan pushed open the car door and got out.

The rain was still falling, and the blue bricks on the ground were washed until they shone.

He walked into the office building, his leather shoes clicking on the terrazzo floor, the echoes wandering through the empty corridors.

Third floor, small conference room.

Pushing open the door, the room was filled with smoke.

Director Ma sat at the end of the long desk, with a white porcelain teacup in front of him, the lid resting diagonally on the rim.

Lu Haiming sat to his left, dressed in a gray Zhongshan suit, holding a string of sandalwood prayer beads in his hand.

His gaze was calm as he watched Chen Yan walk in, even nodding slightly in acknowledgment.

"Chen Yan, please sit down."

Director Ma pointed to the wooden chair opposite.

Chen Yan pulled out a chair and sat down, rainwater dripping from his trench coat onto the wooden floor.

"The commotion at Peking University's lecture hall has gotten a bit out of hand."

Director Ma picked up his teacup and blew away the floating tea leaves.

"We have received reports from the public that your film 'Thunder' is suspected of being screened illegally and that there is a dispute over copyright ownership."

Who is the whistleblower?

Chen Yan asked.

"That's not important."

Director Ma put down his teacup with a soft sound.

"The important thing is that the bureau's opinion is to cool things down first. Considering that your work has a certain international influence, we plan to technically seal the copies and postpone the release for six months."

Lu Haiming moved a Buddhist rosary.

"Director Chen, this is for your own good. The current public opinion is very unfavorable to you. Once this storm passes and everyone calms down to look at your work, it will be better for both you and Ms. Lin."

Lu Haiming's voice was deep and resonant, carrying a sense of elder's care.

Chen Yan took out a brown paper envelope from his pocket.

He tore off the red sealing wax and took out a stack of documents printed in Italian and English.

The files were laid flat on the desktop.

"This is a technical appraisal certificate issued by the Venice Film Festival organizing committee."

Chen Yan extended his index finger and pointed to the first page of the document.

"It bears the signatures of six top-tier European film technicians. They meticulously examined the film, audio tracks, and developing process of 'Thunder' frame by frame."

Chen Yan looked up at Director Ma.

"Report conclusion: The audio-visual synthesis technology used in this film is ten years ahead of the current domestic standards. If it is sealed due to 'technical reasons,' I would like to hear the more professional assessment from the bureau."

Director Ma frowned.

He picked up the document, glanced at it, and then tossed it back onto the table.

"Foreign countries have their own rules, and China has its own procedures."

"I understand programming."

Chen Yan then produced another copy of the contract.

The edges of this contract show obvious signs of multiple folds.

"This is the global distribution agreement I signed with Berlin Film Studios."

Chen Yan pointed to one of the clauses marked in red.

"The contract stipulates that 'Thunder' must premiere in its country of origin within ninety days of winning the Venice award. If it fails to do so, the copyright will automatically transfer to the foreign party, and we will have to pay three times the guaranteed amount in compensation."

Chen Yan paused for a moment, then leaned forward slightly.

"Three times five million US dollars is fifteen million US dollars."

Director Ma's hand, which was holding the cup lid, trembled slightly.

The smoke in the conference room seemed to be moving more slowly.

"Are you using the contract to pressure us into this?"

Director Ma's voice turned somber.

"I am enforcing the law."

Chen Yan said.

"If Director Ma approves the extension for this $10 million shortfall, who will bear the responsibility for the subsequent international legal proceedings and foreign exchange losses?"

Lu Haiming stopped fiddling with the prayer beads.

He looked at Chen Yan, and the gentleness in his eyes disappeared.

"Director Chen, the contract is negotiable. Vincent and I are old acquaintances."

"Vincent returned to Germany immediately after signing the document. His exact words were: He only looks at the notary's stamp, not at the faces of acquaintances."

Chen Yan replied.

He turned his head and looked at Director Ma again.

"Tomorrow morning, I will send a copy of this contract to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange and the Legislative Affairs Office."

"After all, losing more than 15 million US dollars in foreign exchange quota is no small matter."

Director Ma slammed his teacup heavily onto the table.

Tea splashed out, wetting the armband on his sleeve.

"Chen Yan, what kind of attitude is this? You're threatening the organization!"

"I'm protecting the organization from risk."

Chen Yan's voice was very flat.

He stood up and buttoned up his trench coat.

"President Lu said which way the gates of Beijing open. Now I see it, the cracks in the gates are full of other people's checkbooks. But this gate cannot block the country's money flow."

The meeting room door was pushed open.

An old man wearing a dark blue Zhongshan suit walked in.

He was carrying an old cloth bag, his hair was completely white, and he wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses on his nose.

Director Ma suddenly stood up, the sound of the stool legs scraping against the floor was very jarring.

"Old boss, what brings you here?"

The old man didn't look at Director Ma. He walked to the table, picked up Chen Yan's technical appraisal report, and glanced at it.

"I listened in the hallway for ages."

The old man put down the appraisal report and took out a newspaper from his pocket.

That was the one with the photo of Chen Yan receiving the award.

"People abroad say this is a breakthrough for our film industry, a stroke of genius. Are we keeping our doors so tightly shut because we're afraid others will see our treasure, or because we're afraid this treasure will reveal the dust inside?"

Lu Haiming stood up and bowed slightly.

"Minister, we're just trying to be on the safe side..."

"safe?"

The old man glanced at Lu Haiming and slammed the newspaper on the table.

"Mr. Lu, your real estate project occupies old land in Tianjin. The bureau hasn't even said whether it's safe or not yet, and you're already worrying about the director."

Lu Haiming's face turned pale, and the Buddhist prayer beads in his palm made a slight clinking sound.

The old man turned to look at Director Ma.

"Hurry up with the necessary procedures. Don't wait until the State Administration of Foreign Exchange comes knocking on your door demanding that ten million US dollars before you remember where you put the review form."

"Since the international community is giving it positive feedback, we can't let our own genius be discouraged. We'll release it on schedule."

Director Ma wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes. I will arrange for an expert panel to review it tomorrow."

Chen Yan walked up to the old man and bowed slightly.

"thank you."

The old man waved his hand, took out a pen from his cloth bag, and wrote a phone number on the back of Chen Yan's document.

"I've seen the film, and it's really bad. If anyone tries to disgust you with this kind of nonsense again, just call this number."

Chen Yan took the document.

He turned around and walked towards the conference room door.

Lu Haiming stood still, half of his body shrouded in the shadow of the smoke.

His gaze was fixed on Chen Yan's back, and his right hand, due to excessive force, cracked a Buddhist bead.

Chen Yan pushed open the door.

The window at the end of the corridor was open, and a cold wind blew in, carrying raindrops with it.

He took a deep breath, and the oppressive feeling in his chest eased a little.

Wu Gang and Su Wan stood downstairs, their two black umbrellas billowing in the rain like two black mushrooms.

When Su Wan saw Chen Yan come out, she ran two steps forward.

Her cloth shoes stepped into a puddle, splashing mud and water all over her trouser legs.

"Chen Yan! How is it?"

Su Wan stopped at the bottom of the steps and asked loudly.

Chen Yan walked down the steps and crawled under the umbrella.

He took the umbrella from Su Wan's hand and put his other arm around her shoulder.

"Post-production is underway, and the premiere will proceed as planned."

Chen Yan said.

He glanced back at the brightly lit office building.

Behind the window of the small conference room on the third floor, Lu Haiming was standing, looking down at the scene below.

Chen Yan raised his hand and waved his index finger at his temple as a farewell.

The black Hongqi sedan slid over and stopped in front of the three people.

Chen Yan opened the car door and let Su Wan get in first.

He folded his umbrella, and a bit of mud kicked up by his boots landed on the car door sill.

"Old Chen, who's that old man?"

Wu Gang started the car and asked curiously.

"A person who still remembers what movies are."

Chen Yan leaned back in the back seat and closed his eyes.

He pulled the tie clip out of his pocket and ran his fingers back and forth across its metallic surface.

The wheels rolled over the dead branches on the road.

A white law enforcement vehicle is slowly withdrawing.

On the GG sign by the roadside, a corner of the huge poster of "Oriental Hollywood" under Lu Haiming's name was blown open by the wind.

Behind the poster, a mottled red brick wall was visible, with a huge "Demolish" character written on it in white lime.

Chen Yan opened his eyes.

His pupils reflected the fleeting neon lights.

"Wu Gang, go to the studio."

"Now?"

"Now, it's time to send that 'extended' behind-the-scenes footage to all the major TV stations."

The car accelerated in the rain, its red taillights leaving two thin red lines.

In the rearview mirror, Lu Haiming's car was slowly following behind.

The two cars maintained a delicate distance on the dark highway.

Chen Yan closed her eyelids again.

His fingernails dug into his palm, leaving crescent-shaped marks that were even deeper than before.

"Lu Haiming, you've built so many houses."

Chen Yan muttered to himself in a voice only he could hear.

"But you can't afford to buy screens in Beijing."

The wind whistled through the gaps in the car window.

In the distance, in the direction of Tianjin.

A bolt of lightning ripped through the dark clouds, instantly illuminating the crumbling silhouette of the clock tower on the wasteland.

In the frozen frame.

Chen Yan gripped the briefcase firmly, his fingertips turning a cold, bluish-white from the force.